4-year old boy hit by truck

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — A 4-year-old Gallup boy is recovering at a local hospital from injuries he sustained when struck by a pick-up truck on Monday.

The boy is being treated at the Gallup Indian Medical Center for a possible broken pelvis, according to Erin-Toadlena-Pablo, a spokeswoman for the Gallup Police Department. She said the child exhibited visible signs of trauma; however, details about the child's condition were not immediately available.

Gallup police officers were dispatched to the Red Hills Trailer Park at the intersection of Dairy Drive and Jay Street at about 6:30 p.m. in reference to the accident.

The boy was crossing the roadway in a southerly direction when he was run over by a brown pick-up truck that was driven by 32-year-old Billie Casuse of Gallup. Initial reports indicate the boy was bleeding from the mouth after the impact.

An 11-year-old boy and other neighborhood children witnessed the accident. Casuse was cited for careless driving for her alleged role in the accident, Toadlena-Pablo said. The child was reportedly in the care of his father at the time of the accident while his mother was away at work.

Toadlena-Pablo had no information about whether any criminal charges will be filed in connection with the incident.


Train fatality
In other news, a 31-year-old Mariano Lake man was killed by an train on Saturday.

The man was identified as Brandon Chee, according to authorities.

Chee was allegedly lying on the patch of train tracks that stretch along I-40 at Exit 16 when he was struck by the train.

Reports indicate the train's conductor activated the horn to warn Chee that the train was approaching, but Chee remained on the tracks. Toadlena-Pablo said the department's initial investigation indicate alcohol was involved in the incident.